Alumni Greeting

from Alumni Magazine Fall 2021

Then & Now

Dear Alumni,

Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect, said, “A bridge is born of necessity, but it must establish its own identity.”

For alums, there is no question about the identity established for the viaduct. This iconic bridge has long served students as a link between the residential and academic sides of campus. To ensure this legacy continues for future generations, the university will soon begin a project to modernize the structure.

Some may say, “It’s only a bridge.” I propose one reason our alumni care so much about the viaduct is that walking across it is a physical representation of something we’re all trying to do in life: just keep moving forward.

You moved forward in life when you decided to enroll at Cumberlands, propelling yourself into classes, extracurriculars, and relationships that challenged you, grew you, and opened up your world. Walking across the viaduct was probably one of your first quiet rites of passage into adulthood – it marked your first step of independence away from being a teenager at home and into being a college student. The viaduct became the trigger for your brain to switch on before class and wind down again after. Every trip back and forth across it marked the passage of time in your day and, in spring, the passage of another school year. Every first day of fall classes when you walked across it, you walked across as a different person than the one who walked it back in spring. Your route stayed the same; you did not. You kept moving forward.

The viaduct has seen a couple of facelifts over its more than 100 hundred year lifespan and has weathered a few decades since the last. The viaduct is about to begin a new chapter with a modernization project slated to begin this winter and scheduled to finish by the fall (weather permitting). We don’t have many other details yet, so stay tuned to our University of the Cumberlands Alumni Facebook page and our quarterly newsletter through Cumberlands Connect to stay up to date on further announcements.

Speaking of announcements, we are beginning to schedule in-person and hybrid alumni events for the spring and coming fall. If you are interested in hosting a gathering, please email alumni@ucumberlands.edu to let us know!

Last but not least, I couldn’t end an opening letter after Homecoming without thanking everyone who came back home and celebrated with us. After missing a year, I can’t tell you how great it was to see all your smiling faces and catch up with everyone! If you missed out on the fun, no worries – Homecoming 2022 is booked for Friday, September 30th, and Saturday, October 1st. Mark your calendars to join the celebration next year!